Gundam, the Gundam journey of a certain glue guy and his mecha girl.

“I know what you’re thinking, Athrun. But there’s a small Earth Force fleet right in front of us, and if that’s the fleet that was given to Longlegs Donovan, we can’t just stand by and do nothing. As for Miss Klein’s search and rescue mission, the friendly forces operating in the area will also lend a hand.”

After saying that, Kruze ignored Aslan and turned around to open the holographic sandbox, assigning tasks to each pilot.

Seeing this scene, Athrun inexplicably recalled the conversation between Kruze and him before they left PLAN.

"Are you telling me to rescue her and then return in triumph like a hero?"

"Or perhaps they would come back crying, clutching her body."

When Kruze said this, his tone unconsciously carried a chilling coldness that Aslan had never seen before, which sent shivers down Aslan's spine.

Although Athrun and Lacus's relationship is far from that of lovers, they are childhood sweethearts who have grown up together. For Athrun, who has already lost his mother, he does not want to lose another person close to him.

'Kira, what would you do if you were in Kira's shoes?'

Aslan asked himself a question that no one could answer.

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As ZAFT's elite force, the Kruze team has always been known for its swift action. After a brief operational meeting, the entire Kruze team entered combat readiness.

The small Earth Force fleet facing Cruze's team consisted of a Nelson-class cruiser and two Drake-class destroyers. With Cruze's strength, it would only take a few minutes to completely annihilate it.

However, Kruze did not want to do that. Kruze believed that this fleet might be a support fleet sent to the Archangel, so he planned to use this fleet as bait. He would first send out a portion of the mobile suits to attack, forcing the fleet to request reinforcements from the Archangel, which was operating nearby. Once the Archangel arrived, he would send out the remaining forces to wipe out the Earth Navy's small fleet and the Archangel in one fell swoop.

It's a common tactic of besieging a point to lure reinforcements; it's simple yet effective.

Soon, a series of lights flew out from the Vesalius and Gamow. Athrun, piloting the Aegis Gundam, led two squads of mobile suits into the first wave of attack against the Earth fleet as the vanguard commander.

However, even if the objective was not annihilation, the combat power of this feint force consisting of 6 mobile suits was already sufficient to wipe out this Earth fleet.

The Nelson-class destroyers can carry six Möbius missiles, while the modified Drake-class destroyers can only carry four.

The trade ratio between King and Mobius was as high as 1 to 4, or even 1 to 5, not to mention that ZAFT also had an Aegis Gundam with combat power far exceeding that of King.

In fact, the tide of the battle did quickly turn in ZAFT's favor.

The six mobile suits skillfully evaded the gunfire and missile attacks from the coalition ships and soon engaged the Mobius forces.

However, the Mobius forces, which seemed to have a numerical advantage, were defeated by the mobile suits very quickly.

In terms of driver quality, modulator drivers naturally have an advantage over human drivers, and the difference in physical performance between the two further amplifies this advantage.

Besides the two rotary 40mm cannons mounted on its fuselage, the Möbius only had one under-mounted linear cannon and four wire-guided missiles.

However, the most powerful of these, the wire-guided missiles, were originally developed for anti-ship purposes and are completely unsuitable for dealing with adversaries who can move flexibly in space. As for the remaining under-mounted linear cannons and 40mm machine guns, to penetrate King's armor, they would have to hit the same spot multiple times; otherwise, they would have to aim for vulnerable areas such as joints.

However, in a space battle where both sides are moving at high speeds simultaneously, hitting the same spot or aiming at a joint multiple times is almost a pipe dream. Not to mention a natural human pilot, even if a modulator were to pilot the Möbius, it might not be possible to do so.

The Mobius's armor is so strong that even King's 76mm heavy assault rifle could easily penetrate it, let alone a rocket launcher.

In the past, the coalition forces could only rely on their superior manpower and resources to fight against ZAFT's mobile suits through sheer numbers.

In this battle, the coalition forces were clearly no longer able to use human wave tactics.

In the first wave of firefight alone, most of the 14 Mobius were shot down by the MS forces, while ZAFT suffered zero losses.

Faced with the Möbius's attack, MS only needs to use a few maneuvers to dodge the first wave of Möbius's shots, and then seize the opportunity when the Möbius turns to easily shoot it down. The Möbius, on the other hand, is helpless against this and can only rely on the cover of its teammates. But at this time, all the Möbius are too busy to cover their own teammates.

Aslan piloted the Aegis straight in. The remaining Mobius were unwilling to let the Aegis break through their defenses so easily, and concentrated their firepower on the conspicuous mobile suit. However, Aslan easily dodged the Mobius's monotonous attacks with the Aegis's excellent maneuverability. When the Mobius entered a spinning maneuver, he raised his hand and fired three shots, shooting down the remaining Mobius.

The Earth Fleet's air defense capabilities have been largely destroyed, and the remaining three ships' meager anti-aircraft firepower is no different from being undefended in the face of the ZAFT MS forces.

Without MA's restraint, King was like a pack of wolves eyeing their prey, each choosing their own target. Soon, a Drake-class destroyer of the Allied forces sank under King's attack.

Aslan switched the Aegis to MA mode, considered it briefly, and decided to temporarily set aside the Nelson-class, which was clearly the flagship, and instead target the remaining Drake-class.

The bright red machine transformed into a flash of light, easily breaking through the Earth's sparse anti-aircraft firepower, and then aimed at the midsection of the Drake-class ship. The Aegis's mechanical claws opened, revealing the "Siren" multiphase energy cannon hidden inside.

The red and white beam of light easily pierced through the Drake-class's thin armor, and then the warship's power furnace was detonated, turning the warship, which was over a hundred meters long, into cosmic dust.

However, before Aslan could lock onto his next target, a lock-on alarm suddenly sounded in the cockpit, and a barrage of projectiles from afar interrupted his next move, forcing him to begin dodging maneuvers.

After this barrage of bullets, the balance of power on the battlefield instantly shifted to the Earth Alliance. All five King units were unexpectedly shot down, and the culprit was none other than the short sword that had left a deep impression on Athrun in the last battle.

The two mobile suits that had already passed the short sword and were flying towards him were the Mobius Zero, belonging to the Archangel, and the Strike Gundam.

Author's message

P.S.: To be honest, if I hadn't checked the settings, I really wouldn't have known that the missiles on the Möbius were wire-controlled. What kind of brain circuitry would drive someone to mount wire-controlled missiles on a high-speed train?

Chapter 18 Emergency Rescue

Archangel, hangar.

Due to the urgency of the situation, Maru did not have the time to gather all the pilots in the operations room to assign tasks, and was using the ship's internal communication system to explain the battle situation to the three pilots.

"Understood. We'll launch an attack to cover our friendly forces. However, I think instead of the Archangel coming with us to the front, it would be better for it to circle around and cut into the battlefield from the side, directly attacking the enemy fleet."

Raven offered his opinion while fastening his seatbelt.

Raven, having personally fought against the Cruz team, has a deep understanding of their fighting strength.

Leaving aside the ordinary soldiers piloting King, the combination of Athrun and the other four Red Cops with four Gundams is undoubtedly the most troublesome opponent. And if you add Kruze, the super ace, Raven doesn't think he can defeat them with Mu and Kira in their current state.

However, no matter how strong the MS force is, once it loses the support of the battleship, even the most powerful MS and pilots are nothing but rootless duckweed. Therefore, rather than completely defeating the combination of four Gundams and Cruzes in a head-on confrontation, it is obviously more feasible to target the enemy battleship to damage or sink it. Even if the enemy ship cannot be sunk, as long as the enemy can be forced to retreat, it will be a victory for the Archangel's side.

Maru hesitated at Raven's suggestion, but Bakirulu immediately realized the feasibility of the plan.

"In a ship battle, the Archangel will not be at a disadvantage. As long as it fully utilizes its strength, it is entirely possible to force the enemy fleet to retreat. Of course, the premise is that the enemy has committed all its mobile suit forces to besiege friendly fleets and cannot spare any resources to attack the Archangel."

Baki Lulu wasn't exaggerating. In addition to conventional shipborne weapons such as beam cannons, railguns, and anti-ship missiles, the Archangel also has a Lohengrin positron siege cannon on each of its two front legs.

This weaponry has firepower and range exceeding that of conventional shipborne weapons, and it is entirely possible that it could force the enemy to retreat or even sink one or two enemy ships.

"Leave the task of drawing the enemy mobile suit forces to us. The short sword was modified to deal with this kind of one-against-many situation."

Raven and Bakiruru's words gave Maru enough confidence. Although Maru was just a technical officer before and her tactical skills were not as good as Bakiruru's, who was a professional soldier, she had the decisiveness necessary to become an excellent commander.

"Alright, let's proceed with this plan. I'll leave the tactical command to you, Lieutenant Bakiruru."

Maru took a deep breath and looked at the battlefield in the distance, where cannon fire was flying everywhere.

"All mobile units, launch immediately! Archangel, transition to inertial navigation now and remain silent until the opportune moment!"

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At full speed with his short sword, Raven arrived at the battlefield in just a few minutes.

But by this time, the situation on the battlefield had deteriorated to a point that Raven could see at a glance.

The Allied forces' MA units were almost completely wiped out, and the remaining Allied ships were also on the verge of collapse under the siege of MS. The crimson Aegis Gundam took the lead and broke through the Allied forces' sparse anti-aircraft fire with a few simple maneuvers. Then, a Drake-class frigate sank under the attack of the Aegis.

[Enemy search completed, 5 Jin En machines and 1 Holy Shield machine. 】

"Only one Gundam unit came. Is it trying to lure the enemy?"

Raven had some guesses about the enemy's tactics, but no matter what ZAFT did next, Raven's mission remained unchanged.

"Never mind that, El, go all out and take down the enemy in front of us!"

The two cannons on the back of the short sword unfolded, pointing together with the beam rifle in his hand at the ZAFT MS in the distance.

"Captain, Kira!"

“Understood. Kira, follow me. We need to move forward to cover Dagger.”

"I see."

Mobius Zero and Airborne Assault attacked from the left and right sides of the short sword, while Raven launched the first wave of artillery fire at the ZAFT MS that had not yet reacted.

"Al, go all out! Start with the easy target, King!"

The short sword stopped advancing, and the two cannons on its back rose up and were mounted on its shoulders. These two weapons, which once belonged to the Storm Gundam, along with the beam rifle, began to unleash a dense barrage of bullets at the ZAFT MS.

Both the high-energy convergent beam rifle and the beam rifle were almost excessive firepower against King. In addition, with El's ballistic calculations, even though the short sword was still some distance from King at this time, it still achieved a good hit rate.

A barrage of projectiles rained down on ZAFT's mobile suits. The belatedly alerted King's forces were barely reacting when they were bombarded by beams and physical projectiles. Even the Aegis, which had been freely maneuvering through the Allied lines, was forced to make hasty evasive maneuvers.

After the barrage of bullets fired from the short sword, the six Kings that were besieging the coalition fleet were reduced to dust in space, just like the Möbius that they had just shot down.

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Earth Alliance Forces, Nelson-class destroyer USS Montgomery, bridge.

"So, that's the combat power of our mobile suit forces! If we can mass-produce these mobile suits, how can we not be victorious!"

George Alstar, dressed in a suit that clashed completely with the atmosphere on the bridge, loudly marveled at the combat prowess displayed by the short sword while his face flushed as he swung his fists into the air, as if he had unleashed the barrage of bullets that had just turned the tide of battle.

The captain, sitting to the side, watched this political elite behaving like a drunken football hooligan and sighed almost imperceptibly.

"Archangel, why did those idiots even bother coming to our aid?!"

Unlike George Alstar, who was not a soldier, the captain knew that the mobile suits sent to attack his side were not ZAFT's full strength. The enemy was using his fleet as bait, and once the Archangel walked into the trap, they would send in all their remaining forces to wipe out the fleet and the Archangel in one fell swoop.

However, battlefield communications were severely disrupted at this point, and he was powerless to warn the Archangel even if he wanted to.

Now, he can only hope that the Archangel's reinforcements will be able to exert combat power beyond his expectations.

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ZAFT forces, Vesalius, bridge.

'Hmm? What's this feeling like?'

When the short sword, carrying the Mobius Zero and the Strike, entered the battlefield, Kruze felt a strange sensation in his mind.

'If it's not Mu la Vlada, then who is it?'

Kruze's gaze was fixed on the magnified short sword on the screen, recalling the several times the short sword had clashed with his side since Heliopolis.

Each time they fought, the pilot of that machine would improve, and coupled with the feeling that was currently lingering in his mind, Kruze suddenly became interested in the short sword.

"Artis, I'm going to the hangar. I'm leaving command of the fleet to you."

Kruze's decision surprised Artis.

"Captain Cruze, are you going to lead the attack yourself?"

"As the saying goes, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Although the long-legged creature didn't appear, knocking down the long-legged MS is still an important result. I don't want to let victory slip through my fingers again."

Without waiting for Artis's reply, Kruze left with only one sentence and headed straight for Ghanaku, leaving Artis with no choice but to put his worries aside.

The sight of that long-legged ship, which never appeared, always gave him a sense of foreboding.

Chapter 19: A Deadly Battle (4000 words)

[Shoulder armor overheated; firing ceases.]

The short sword kept firing until the temporarily installed shoulder armor overheated before it stopped. Raven glanced at the energy gauge and found that the short sword had consumed a quarter of its power in just over ten seconds of continuous firing, but this all-out attack had achieved considerable results.

All five Kings were shot down, and Raven single-handedly turned the tide of the battle. Now, ZAFT only has one Aegis unit with full combat capability. Meanwhile, Mu and Kira, who went forward to cover Raven, have their eyes on Aegis.

"Wow, that's some serious firepower, Kira kid. Now it's our turn."

"Understood, Captain. I will draw the Shield's attention from the front."

"Working with smart people is great, so the front job is yours, kid."

Mu's Mobius Zero had switched back to wired cannons. After glancing at Aegis's movements, he accelerated and flanked to the side, while the Assault Rifle, equipped with an empty backpack, met Aegis head-on.

The previous confusion was gone from the assault's movements. The beam of the rifle in his hand was accurately aimed at Aegis's limbs. Athrun, realizing this, had to be alert and deal with the assault's attack.

Although Athrun had promised his superiors that he would shoot his old friend on the battlefield, when he actually encountered Kira, he couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth. However, the rigorous training he had received made his body move instinctively.

The Strike and the Aegis high-speed darts of the Maverick C-class aircraft constantly clashed, their emerald beams sweeping across the space where the two machines were engaged in battle, leaving Mu, who was trying to flank them, speechless.

"Are all the Adjusters who show their true skills this outrageous? Whether it's Raven or Kira, the guys around me are all monsters. How am I supposed to save face as a legitimate soldier?"

At this moment, Mu was somewhat glad that he hadn't always flaunted his title of "Endymion's Falcon," otherwise he would definitely have been unable to hold his head up in front of Raven and Kira, those two supermodel guys.

But putting aside matters of face for now, Mu has more pressing issues to address.

"Damn it, the Zero is no match for these two guys."

As the prototype of the Möbius, the Möbius Zero is superior to the mass-produced Möbius in all aspects, but in the end it is just a small MA. In the face of the Strike and Aegis at full power at this time, it is no match for them.

However, Kira soon created an opportunity for Mu.

After Kira gradually became familiar with Athrun's operating habits, he suddenly holstered his gun and drew his sword during the exchange of fire, charging straight forward. Aegis didn't have time to change direction and had to extend the beam saber on his right arm to deal with the charging attack. However, Kira decisively raised his shield, suppressing Aegis's right arm and causing Aegis's movements to pause briefly.

"Captain, now!"

"Well done! Even if you have Photoshop armor, if you hit the thrusters!"